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Certain People I Know

Certain People I Know

Written by: PP on 06/12/2012 22:12:13

If Pavement played original emo instead of quirky indie rock, this is how they'd sound like. That's probably not at all that surprising when you discover Bob Nanna and Damon Atkinson of Braid/Hey Mercedes fame in the liner notes, who came from essentially the same 90s scene as Pavement did back in the day. And when you add in Jeff from hyped up pop punkers The Story So Far to the lineup, an unknown chick by the name of Lauren(who'll inevitably remind you of the girl in Lemuria), and Matt from This Is Me Smiling, you've got quite an interesting lineup in your hands.

Also not at all that surprising is how closely Certain People I Know sounds exactly like Hey Mercedes and Braid considering how Bob Nanna's voice is pretty much unmistakable these days, given his iconic status within that scene. Soft, fragile, indie-flavored emo melodies with exceptional vocal harmonies, yeah, that's pretty much how to characterize this release all right. Lauren's smooth, mid-range female vocals add in a nice contrasting element without taking us too far away from the original emo style, leaving a trace of Lemuria and why not even hints of Mixtapes in your thoughts, although her role is a minor one compared to Nanna, who is the centerpiece of this record. Together, they add that Pavement-style indie quirk in places, despite the fact that we're distinctly in original emo territory the whole time.

What's remarkable about these songs (and the genre in general) is how unassuming they are. The melodies are never forced down your throat; they instead invite the listener into them as a warm welcome of sorts where s/he is met with the pure joy of playing music instead of the profiteering or career-musician type of material. You always feel like you're a guest in their musical universe, where you've gotten a unique peek into a world where four guys and a girl are playing off each other with no intention other than the sheer love of musicianship. They don't take any liberties or use production tricks, this is a natural, organic sound, and as a result, it sounds about as honest and down-to-earth as music comes. In the process, the songs that came out of it are excellent, and remind us again why Nanna and Atkinson were so revered in their previous bands at the time.

Download: Neverlasting, Our Lady Of Guadalupe, NYE, Rowdy - Pivotal
For the fans of: Pavement, Everyone Everywhere, Braid, Lemuria, The Get Up Kids, Mineral
Listen: Facebook

Release date 07.08.2012
Count Your Lucky Stars